SCRIP-BITS

Ephesians 6:13.    Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
 
Oh Friends, can you feel the LOVE pouring down from heaven with the new mercies and blessings on this new bountiful day? Wow! What a wonderful God we serve! It always amazes me how He protects and provides for us anew each day! I sure hope that all you believers realize this and appreciate it, because if you don’t, you’re missing out on a lot of good stuff. And I’m not merely talking about physical and material possessions, although the Lord does bless us with them, but I mean the personal relationship with Him that just boosts all parts of us, and helps us live a righteous life in this evil world. Oh my people, please get up close and personal with Jesus, so that He can set you on the right path. It’s the ultimate wisdom! And now a bit of sad news; re the floods in Florida from tropical storm Debby and the forest fires burning out of control in Colorado. Ah Friends, please let’s pray some mighty prayers for those unfortunate people involved in those calamitous natural disasters. Whatever the cause or reason for them, let’s ask our kind, LOVING and merciful God to help them bear up under the serious adversity that’s befallen them. That brings us to our Bit: ‘Wherefore take (up) unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ Yes Friends, if there’s ever a time we need to do that it’s right now, for we’re living in very evil times. That means we’ve got to be clothed in our spiritual armour at all times and then stand strong because the enemy is moving against us with a mighty push to get us to break down and repudiate our Christian heritage. That must never happen though! And the only way to ensure that it doesn’t is to be always prepared; dressed in your helmet of salvation, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of peace, armed with your shield of faith, waving your mighty spiritual sword in earnest prayer. Now yesterday after reading Bruh Paul’s description of the armour of God, I gave you a brief description of them. Today though I want to share a more in depth perspective, re how the terms came about back in the olden days, courtesy of the scholars. Here goes: ‘The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. The ancient soldiers loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place. Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by, his spiritual ‘belt’ or his knowledge of the ‘truth’ of Scripture. (2) The breastplate of righteousness (v.14b) may be read ‘the breastplate which is righteousness.’ It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the ‘truth’ known produces a godly life (righteousness). (3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v 15) means ‘eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace’ That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called ‘caligue’ on his foot, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of ‘eagerness’ or ‘willingness’ to advance against the devil and take the fight to him. Such ‘eagerness’ to contend with Satan ‘comes from the gospel of peace.’ The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent. (4) The shield of (which is) faith (v 16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan. (5) The helmet of salvation (v 17a): Since the readers are already Christian they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as ‘the hope of salvation’ that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation. (6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v 17b): The Greek term rendered ‘word’ is not ‘logos’ referring to the whole Word of God, but ‘rhema’ referring to certain portions of selected verses of Scripture. Praying (v 18) is grammatically linked to ‘stand’ in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always (v 18) means ‘on every occasion,’ that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means ‘being vigilant in this very matter’ of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’ Oh Friends, I hope those thoughts from the scholars either provided some new knowledge or reinforced what you already knew about spiritual warfare. But whatever stage you’re at, this spiritual warfare is indeed a serious matter, so please let’s take it as such and ramp up our knowledge and practice of it, because it’s becoming more important with each passing day in these evil, troubled, confused and calamitous times. We can never know enough about the powers of darkness and their evil intention to allow us to sit on our laurels. We must always be diligent, in possession of all the accoutrements of battle and praying with great fervour and sincerity. That’s the only way to defeat Beelzebub! Much LOVE!…to battle, to battle…we all must go…dressed in our spiritual armour…earnestly praying…and bravely battling the foe…